Before boycotting Khaadi and fruit vendors, get your consumerism habits in order

Demonstrations were held in Karachi and Lahore by the workers and activists. PHOTO: KHAADI

I am often left speechless when asked to name a superstar from Pakistan who is unconditionally loved by the majority. I can’t think of a name like Shah Rukh Khan, whom people from around the globe would be familiar with even if they didn’t watch Bollywood movies.

Surely, Pakistan has produced some of the best musicians, artists, cricketers and authors. There is no dearth of talent in our country. Then what is it that compels us to hate on people like Malala Yousafzai when the whole world is recognising her sacrifices and bravery?

We as a nation excel in providing mob justice, witch-hunting and jumping to conclusions. And while we are at it, we also ensure that no one succeeds beyond where we want/expect them to be. God forbid, if someone is able to achieve something noteworthy, we do whatever is in our power to bring down the undeserving person/organisation.

The latest subjects of this witch-hunt seem to be Khaadi and Waqar Zaka. Let me clarify, I have never owned a single outfit by Khaadi (not brand conscious at all) and people like Waqar Zaka are just not my cup of tea. If anything, I do remember laughing at his expense in the past. I know better now, so I deliberately don’t share jokes targeting people like Meera,Taher Shah and Nasir Khanjan. If anything, I admire their resilience and secretly envy their confidence. Like all of us, they make mistakes and being in the public eye means their mistakes are almost never forgotten.

However, be it Twitter or Facebook, people are always on the hunt for finding a new enemy every day. These passive keyboard warriors spread information faster than the speed of light, without listening to both sides of the story, and sometimes without any verification.

I was recently disappointed to see that the very people who spend hundreds of thousands on international brands, which have been openly called out for unethical practices, were bashing a local brand for HR mismanagement. In no way am I defending the brand in question. Surely, there is always room for improvement in everything.

Also, it’s amazing to see some ‘micro-bloggers’ (yes everyone is a blogger these days) brutally targeting Khaadi and hijacking their hashtag while they gladly promote multinationals in the hopes of a few free goodies. These holier than thou, socially responsible Twitterati will jump onto any bandwagon for a few thousand rupees as well (and here we thought new media was free and forthright) without questioning the agenda of the organisations/brands. Then why the hullabaloo and false pretense of hating consumerism on which you feed and which feeds on you?

Let me remind you, I am not asking you to not call a spade a spade but do speculate. I, for instance, wonder why just Khaadi? While we are condemning one wrong practice, why aren’t we asking questions about the workers in other textile mills? Why aren’t the workers across the industry taking this golden opportunity to take to the streets and demanding justice everywhere? Why don’t we have a conclusive decision about the culprits of Baldia Town factory blaze in which hundreds of people perished? I want to know why hasn’t anyone learned any lessons and why do we still hear about incidents like Bhangoria Goth factory fire where two workers jumped off the third floor of a factory to escape the blaze?

No doubt there is a dire need to challenge and change workplace practices, governance and laws across the board in Pakistan. Honestly, very few organisations have properly functioning human resource departments. Also, bringing this massive change might take several years and a lot of effort. However, we can begin the change now, within ourselves, by challenging consumerism and avoiding hypocrisy.

Try and buy what you need and not what you want. Don’t complain about these issues if you are just going to comfortably sit in your air-conditioned room and sip on a cup of tea that your 11-year-old maid has served. Don’t be a dolt by spending most of your income on dining out at fancy restaurants and buying ridiculously expensive clothes while delaying your driver’s salary. Don’t waste food by cooking more than you can eat while giving last night’s leftovers to your servants. And lastly, don’t just boycott small vendors and condemn local trendsetters but actually make a difference by analysing each of your personal action.

Dureen is a communications professional from Pakistan, now living in the UK. Having worked for a local government and now for the healthcare sector in England, she often wonders why Pakistan can't be developed like these Western countries. She tweets @ConfusciousDee (twitter.com/ConfusciousDee)

to quote from the author’s description at the end of the article “, she often wonders why Pakistan can’t be developed like these Western countries” Well one of the reasons may be people like her living abroad (brain drain) and giving reasonings based on gross generalisations against the public, esp. when the public is trying to do some good and highlight specific labour malpractice and inhumane policies by a successful and very profitable corporation. For the author’s info, In the west it is standard practice to highlight abuse by corporations and boycott them – just pointing this out. I agree with the author that more needs to be done, but a step in the right direction is still a step in the right direction and should not be shut down .Recommend

Sana Durvesh

Agree with your reply. Was thinking the same while reading. You saved me a few words.Recommend

Ali

Author may be PR agent for #khaadi and trying to reduce the dam
age. shameRecommend

Mallick Tayyab

G R O S S
Am I jumping to conclusion? Or do I have a Bias? Mmm, No… Then I’d be judgemental for sure.
For the sake of rationality, if people stand for something constructive, bolster their effort. Skeptical orientations will make it worse in Pakistan culture. Not every dose can be generalised for every ailment.Recommend

M Sarmad

You are neither giving solution nor fully condemning the deed, just using big words and spreading more confusion. Make up your mind girl, it has to start from somewhere. You mention western society and I can give you countless examples of those nations boycotting sugar, meat and other things to express their concerns.Recommend

faraz

Dont know the technical term for it, but its the old worn out ‘what about other girls, why just Malala’ fallacyRecommend

Aina Maria Waseem

Speaking of both sides, what about your own observation? You don’t buy Khaadi because you aren’t brand conscious at all. Indulging in the Pakistani habit of putting people in boxes is clearly acceptable if you do it. Clearly one can’t buy a Khaadi dress because one likes the colour, print, work, material and price. We are an opinionated nation and we refuse to listen to each other let alone get convinced to change our minds and we all know it. If one day Hamza Abbasi is what I call “thinking aloud” and being criticized, another day the topic is a Sapphire sale. However the person who elects herself as the one to try and stop it should avoid falling into the very error she is pointing out. It is very difficult and it leads to you sounding a holier-than-thou (used by you it doesn’t seem to apply to the relevant people) person who did the grand gesture of letting so and so be by not laughing at them and exhorts the clearly less morally elevated public to follow suit. Using your own logic, I may say that anyone and everyone who is criticised by our social media is a victim, including the latest, Hussain Nawaz with his allegedly piteous picture. Recommend

Amer

Living in the west you should have learned how democracies work, what’s freedom of speech and freedom to choose. Your criticized everyone else but seem to be so confused yourself writing a qualifier to almost every single sentence. I lived all my life in western countries and know of numerous examples of people boycotting or protesting against companies etc. The youth in Pakistan is fully informed with social media on their finger tips. Please do not underestimate the Pakistani nation, they are just starting to wake up to the realities of their freedom… if only they have democracy for the next few decades !Recommend

Abdul moiz

I DO avoid chocolate and coffee, i don’t buy shoes or clothes from all big/small brands, i don’t buy mobile phone brands which use conflict minerals, anything which is produced using palm oil
And i would never buy (Even when i’ll be able to afford them in a century or so) locally weaved rugs

Now can i condemn khaadi through my microblog and get my 5000 Rs reward from their competitor ??Recommend

Talha

living abroad and talking without having discussion from the
local point of view will eventually goes wrong.

it’s not a matter of boycott the small vendors but the
instinct of asking higher prices though black marketing. The basic concept over here in minds are “you can ask anything higher or highest from GOD and with the clients”. Get a bargain and get the best price.

Everything in going expensive and traders are demanding at their own will. No price check on roads and with the brands for purchase of basic commodities.Recommend